A Savage Life
Chapter 10

I woke up with a start. I half-way expected to replace Lana’s arms over me, kissing me, telling me that it’ll be alright. But instead, I found Sabine sitting on my bed, watching me intently, creeping me out. Instinctively, I snap, “Do you not have anything better to do?”

Sabine didn’t smile, he just nodded and replied curtly, “Just making sure that you were alright. Men came over today to see if you were experiment 2 8 6, so I vaccinated you with the H1N1 virus to let them see that you are just a sick patient, just before I devaccinated you when they left.”

No wonder I feel weak and tired, but that’s also a plus because, I now have an ally, Sabine. There’s not much I can do to help him since he helped me big time. Sure, he could have offered me up to the men, but he didn’t, so this makes us friends, I guess. I tried to choke up a thank you, but I stayed silent.

“Sabine, pardon me for asking, but could you help me, you know, around the place?” was all I could say.

Sabine couldn’t have been more happy. He gave me a bite of chicken noodle soup and we were on our way. I didn’t have a lot, and Sabine could tell, so he helped me get a pack and stuffed some belongings in it. I don’t know what, but I hope I know how to use it. Second, Sabine gave me a communication earpiece, a Sound and Voice Application System. I just program contacts into it. Sabine gave me his as a starter, and then he took me to Mayor Candell.

Mayor Candell lived in a dark building that could’ve said, “Recluse lives here.”

“Not much of a place to live in.” I said. Sabine nodded.

I knocked on the door, and Sabine shifted back into that creepy smile.

He nudged me and said, “Smile, it’s polite.”

I looked at him and repulsed, “Do I have to?”

“Yes.” he answered.

I gave him an aggravated look and then I mustered up the creepiest smile I’ve ever smiled. Sabine’s dropped a little, but he still gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up though. Poor sot.

“Who is there?” asked a rough voice.

“Sabine Ducklan and a Joshua Asbury.” Sabine answered.

“Ok,” said the rugged voice. “Step in.”

I stepped into the dark building and I felt impending doom on my shoulders. Sabine looked at me and started talking about random somethings I didn’t care about. “You know I tried to kill a fox.” “I one time, moping around about how my life’s turned out, had fell down the stairs.” And a bunch of other stuff. Blah, blah, blah. I never was much of a talker, until he brought up fishing. I could talk all day to him about the subject. But then, we had arrived to the deep black door of Mayor Candell’s office and I had to stop. Sabine knocked on the door and put back on that smile. I made sure mine would haunt the nightmares of Mayor Candell forever.

“Come in.” a gruff voice called.

Sabine opened the charcoal colored door and allowed me to step over the moldy threshold first. As I walked in, the Mayor and about three businessmen and women repulsed back. My work here is done.

“Y-yes.” Mayor Candell said in shock.

I tried to conceal a snicker through my smile.

“I need to know where I’m at.” I said immediately.

Mayor Candell raised a dark eyebrow. Silence fell down upon the room like a curtain as the Mayor looked at me, his deep brown eyes crossing mine, and then to my grinning accomplice. Sabine still kept an optimistic smile in the silence, then took a deep breath and explained it further, “This man is not from around here.”

“Thank you Captain Obvious.” Mayor Candell muttered under his breath. Sabine swayed and smiled and said, “This man would like to have a map of this area and the surrounding areas. If possible, can you support him through terrestrial transportation?”

Terrestrial? Support? What’s up with all the big words?

“I would be obliged to give him a map, but,” Drum roll please. “No.” Mayor Candell answered. Then he turned to me with that smile (And this time, it didn’t look so forced) and said, “Sorry Buddy Boy, no free rides for you. If you’d like, you can complain to me again and walk to the next town.”

“But sir,” Sabine stressed. “Please.”

The man even got down on his knees and pleaded, and when Mayor Candell dismissed him and I once more, he came unhinged. He lunged across the room, cussing, and sputtering out crazed things and guess what, drum roll please, got us tossed us out of town with nothing but our packs and the clothes on our backs.

Great. I’m stuck out here with this lunatic and the rest of them. And now I’m trapped because I don’t know what I’m up against out here, and this short-tempered maniac is my reprieve. This day just keeps getting better and better. I sighed, dragged my hands through my hair, and said, “Let’s get this show on the road.”